London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Three aid groups called Thursday for an immediate halt to any new adoptions of Haitian children after last week 's earthquake .

Save the Children , World Vision and a unit of the British Red Cross said the focus first must be on tracing any family members that children may still have and reuniting them .

`` Any hasty new adoptions would risk permanently breaking up families , causing long-term damage to already vulnerable children , and could distract from aid efforts in Haiti , '' the agencies said in a joint statement .

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The disaster in Haiti has led to an outpouring of support around the world , with the United States alone donating more than $ 305 million as of Wednesday , according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy , a newspaper covering nonprofit organizations .

Stories of Haitian orphanages struggling after the quake and the plight of the children there also has led many to ask about adopting children .

After reading a CNN report on Haitian orphans , CNN.com reader Dana Fanning wrote , `` It broke my heart . My husband and our 4 children want to know if and how we could adopt -LSB- any -RSB- of the children orphaned by the earthquake . ''

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Save the Children Chief Executive Jasmine Whitbread said the `` vast majority '' of children on their own in Haiti are not orphans , but were simply separated from their families in the chaos .

Their family members may still be alive , she said , and `` will be desperate to be reunited with them . ''

`` Taking children out of the country would permanently separate thousands of children from their families -- a separation that would compound the acute trauma they are already suffering and inflict long-term damage on their chances of recovery , '' Whitbread said .

Allowing a flood of new adoptions also could open the door to traffickers , said World Vision Chief Executive Justin Byworth .

The poverty in Haiti already makes children there `` extremely vulnerable '' to exploitation and abuse , Byworth said .

`` We are concerned not only about premature overseas adoption but also about children increasingly being sent unaccompanied to the Dominican Republic , '' he said .

Aid groups said adoptions that were already in progress before the January 12 earthquake should go ahead , as long as the right legal documents are in place and they meet Haitian and international law .

For those who want to help Haitian children , Whitbread said , they should donate to aid agencies who are working on reuniting those children with their families .

The International Committee of the Red Cross has opened an office at the headquarters of the Haitian Red Cross in Crois de Prez to help people locate their relatives , said Pete Garratt , a disaster response manager at the British Red Cross .

The ICRC also has set up a Web site to help people searching for relatives , he said .

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Three aid groups say focus first must be on reuniting kids with any of their relatives

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`` Any hasty new adoptions would risk permanently breaking up families , '' agencies say

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Reports on plight of children in Haiti has led many to ask about adoptions

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Flood of new adoptions could open the door to traffickers , one official says